


Snowed In with Damian and Tim

by Gemini_00



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Red Robin (Comics)
Genre: Holiday Bingo 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 10:18:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17119490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gemini_00/pseuds/Gemini_00
Summary: For:  https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArsenicHappy Holidays from the worst sibling rivalry to this day.





	Snowed In with Damian and Tim

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Arsenic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arsenic/gifts).



> For Arsenic with the prompt: Snowed In

Tim understands why they were the ones that were benched from patrol for the next few days, it was a simple drug bust from some up-and-coming crime boss. Red Robin and Robin were supposed to just find evidence in the office and take it straight to the commissioner, instead they decided to try and outdo one another which resulted in both of them getting kidnapped and injured by some minor thugs and Black Bat had to save them.

Tim understands why they were picked to go to the Wayne Cabin up north and get the place cleaned for the rest of them, honestly it is a pretty tiny cabin considering the Waynes, something about Thomas Wayne wanting to teach his son humility and appreciating the world. They were only supposed to be up there alone from late evening the night before to that morning, but mother nature had other plans.

They were snowed in, the most literal sense, too much snow for anyone to even try leaving Gotham city, a blizzard taking over like a wildfire, too much snow fell off the roof and stacked against the door to even try and open it- not to mention, Tim’s signal sucked now.

“Only another two days, and then we can get you both- the cabin is stacked with food and water, right? The generator should work,” Bruce explains to Tim over the phone.

“Bruce, that is no the point! The point is-”

“You both have your medication there. Damian’s cast still fits? You’re not aggravating your ribs or the bullet wounds, right?” Bruce asks.

“Yes, but-”

“Tim with the snow, I couldn’t even get there if I wanted too. You’re both able to take care of yourselves until this blizzard slows down. It’s too dangerous for me to even fly there,” Bruce says, “Besides, Dick thinks this could be good for you two!”

Tim tries to take his opening, “We are your children, Bruce! You really gonna let Dick boss you around? Is he my dad now?”

“Nice try, Tim,” Bruce montones.

The click on the the other line happened before Tim could protest, leaving him to stare at the scowling eleven year old, “I’m assuming that father and Grayson won’t be coming to relieve of from this god forsaken hut in the middle of nowhere.”

“It should only be a day or two at least until this blizzard calms down,” Tim sighs.

~

So far they had been able to ignore one another, but still fought enough that both of them were grating on each other's nerves. They couldn’t agree on music, the cable was out, there was no movies and forget even attempting the old board games that Tim found.

“Turn up the heat,” Damian demands from Tim who was the one to set up the generator, “My side of the cabin is cold.”

“Then maybe you should just stop being a spoiled brat and sleep on the warmer side of the cabin,” Tim snaps, still the brat comes to mess with the thermostat.

“Bruce said not to mess with the heat, Demon Brat,” He grunts as he pushes the kid back, “Same with the lights and water! Too old, needs to be updated- we can’t lose the generator too!”

“I’m cold, Drake! If father were here then-”

“Then he would tell you to stop being such a fucking brat, alright!” Tim knows that it probably isn’t the right thing to say to a baby assassin with a poor temper. His point is proved when said child child launches at him despite the broken arm and sore body from the kidnapping.

“I can’t believe father would ever speak to an imbecile like you, let alone acknowledge you as his heir! This is all your fault!” Damian screeches at him.

For a moment, they’re spurring insults at one another, nothing out of the usual as they fight and flip about.

The teen knows better than to let the words get to him, but he has been stuck bored and on bed rest for the past few days with everyone saying that Tim should just let it go. But he can’t- not alone, not without Bruce or Steph or Dick to help him just have five seconds of silence.

“I guess he saw the same thing that your grandfather saw!” Tim yells at the boy as he grabs the broom in the corner of the kitchen. Damian launches after him, but Tim is not playing anymore and he sees every advantage to take Damian down.

Using him to get off balance, pushing the boy back into counter before flipping him to face the front adding pressure to bruised ribs and cast.

“And just so you know, this is hardly my fault. You’re the one that is so obsessed with proving yourself to everyone because you know that not matter what you do, you’re not Robin! Not because you don’t have the skill but because you’re a spoiled and malevolent little brat!”

Damian struggles against the hold but Tim is bigger which means stronger, he is also angrier. Kicking apart the boys legs, he pushes Damians face to the counter before swiping them out from underneath him. Damian goes to come back up but Tim’s hit to the sore ribs send him back down. Dropping while he is weak, Tim twist the broken arm behind him, pinning him to the ground applying enough pressure to the injuries to warn the boy.

“I’m done, Damian. This isn’t happening anymore. I don’t care what what Dick or Steph says. You’re not some poor soul that needs to be coddled! You’re dangerous!”

“You’re wrong-” Damian pants.

“No. I’m not.You say you’re surprised your father kept me? Well guess what, he signed onto it. I have the last name, he wanted me. Hell, Bruce didn’t even want to conceive you but your bitch of a mother-”

“Don’t talk about my mother!” 

“She fucking screwed him over twice because then she dropped you off and no one wants you!” Tim pushes his staff towards the ribs, “Certainly not me!”

“Drake! DRAKE! Stop!”

“If I let you up, do you promise not to attack?” Tim asked.

“Drake!”

“Say you’re sorry”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! It hurts! Tim! It hurts!” Tim lets up, feeling half way okay with what happened when Damian flips and scrambles to get himself up.

Tim readies himself for the attack, thinking himself a fool for letting Damian go but instead meets the watery green eyes as the child looks smaller than ever clutching his side and holding his arm as if Tim will make another go at it.

“Damian- I-”

But the boy runs as fast as he can to the other side of the Cabin. Tim can’t make himself move to run after the boy, the abused child, his little brother that he held down and degraded until the boy bended to his will. 

Tim forces his feet to move. He throws up everything in his stomach wishing nothing more than for Dick or Bruce or Steph to be there. Mostly Alfred though.

But none of them would help him, they’d all see him as he sees himself now. He’d never seen the impact that a hurt Damian could have, a dead one, yes. But to be hurt, by his own family of all- Tim understands now.

They’d all hate Tim as much as he hates himself.

~

Being over on the other side of the Cabin, Tim understands why Damian complained about the the cold before. Tim wrapped a blanket around himself while wearing multiple layers and a winter jacket.

“Damian, it’s me,” Tim knocks on the door, “I won’t come in but I really want to talk and say I’m sorry. You can punch me as many times as you like.”

Nothing.

“I brewed some of that tea that you like. A nice warm mug just like Alfred. Well probably not as good, but better than Dick or Bruce. And some ibuprofen.”

All Tim could hear was shuffling from the other side.

“Dames, it’s too cold over here. Atleast switch sides with me. I deserve it.”

Nothing at all.

“Okay,” Tim sighs, “I’ll leave it here.”

~

Tim continued to try all throughout the next day, leaving blankets and food and more medicine out each time. Each time he returned, it was to an empty hallways with an empty med and plates with half eaten meals.

Bruce said it’d be just another day, Tim thinks… As soon as Dick and Bruce get here then they can draw Damian out and Tim will apologize and make it up to him.

Tim, bored with waiting and doing nothing runs into photo albums of a young Bruce Wayne wearing ridiculous cute childrens outfits, or doing things that no one would expect from the great Bat himself. 

~

Tim has never heard the Demon Brat scream before, usually he was off with the Titans or partnered with somebody else on patrol so he only ever saw Damian being patched up in the medbay after patrol.

Therefore, Tim bolts out of bed thinking that it had to be something or anything Bat related. Tim breaks down the locked door expecting to find ninjas holding Damian capture or the Joker standing over him or Scarecrow running with gas but instead is a shivering small body under mounds of blankets screaming things in arabic that Tim can’t possibly comprehend.

A nightmare, Tim remembers something about Dick mentioning them. Still, Tim never witnessed Damian having one- not with Tim sleeping on the whole other side of the manor or from the cave (Tim’s usual place of waking up over coffee and cases). He just didn’t think Damian could have something as simple as a nightmare. But then again, Tim also didn’t really think Damian could be terrified into submission but Tim managed that one.

“Damian,” Tim switches the light switch on, crawling into bed as the child thrashed and screamed, “Damian, it’s okay. You’re fine.”

“Father, I’m sorry. I won’t- I won’t,” Damian screams his first English words.

“Damian,” Tim grabs the boy who flinches in fear.

“Mother! No! Father, don’t let her - Please!” Damian screams murder.

Tim pulls the boy forwards and pins him to his chest before he can cause himself any danger or harm from his thrashing and scratching, “Damian! Wake up! Damian!”

Green eyes meet his, showing alertness but the shaking doesn’t stop and his breathing is too fast.

“Damian, breathe. It’s okay. You’re safe,” Tim whispers, “You need to calm down, alright?”

It’s so cold, even for Tim who is use to the dreary weather but this is Damian’s second winter here, away from the warm desert palace he grew up in. Tim can’t believe he didn’t think of that before.

Gently, grabbing a blanket, Tim easily lifts the petrified small body of his little brother. Damian, no doubt would be normally fighting back, but stays still due to exhaustion and focusING on calming himself down. In the master bedroom of the other side of the house where Tim has slept in place of Bruce, a fire is burning warm while the heat turns off at night. Tim tucks the small body into the warm large bed before seeking some warm tea.

When he comes back, Damian looks a mix of scared, exhausted, and ashamed. This must be what Dick dealt with during Bruce’s absence, Tim thinks, it’s enough for anyone to want to help the kid.

“Tea will help. I know you don’t like hot chocolate,” Tim smiled.

“Why?” Damian asks.

“Why am I being nice to you?” 

“Why are you giving me your pity when I have done nothing but berate you? You won in battle, I omitted defeat.”

Tim understood Ra’s, understood league policies and after what Talia did to Damian, Tim understood Damian’s mindset maybe better than anyone after all, just because Janet Drake wasn’t an assassin didn’t mean that she didn’t punish Tim with her absence as if he wasn’t worth it. So instead he sits on the bed across from Damian.

“First off, It wasn’t really a fair fight. Second off, this isn’t the league and what I did was wrong. Big brothers aren’t suppose to hurt their little brothers. I’ll be honest, you don’t make it easy to want to be a big brother but I still am. I shouldn’t hurt you. We need to be on the same team which means when you’re scared, I’m supposed to help you. That’s what Dick would do, right?”

“Grayson is a sentimental fool,” Damian grunts, sipping his tea.

“He’s your favorite for a reason,” Tim smiles, “Damian, we can’t keep going after each other's throats like this. You were right, you’re not what I said you were. And that guy in the kitchen, I don’t want to be him at all. Okay?”

“Tt. So what do you suppose we do, Drake?” Damian ask.

“An understanding,” Tim works it out, “We are always going to bicker and fight sometimes, it’s us. But we need to have each other’s backs. We are both in this family because Bruce wants both of us. Dick loves both of us. Even Jason wants us. We have to stop fighting over it, okay? You’re my little brother now. Believe it or not, I wanted one pre throwing me off the dinosaur. And I found out, I still want one- even if it took you and I being stuck in some oddly small, cold, and outdated cabin to remember that.”

“Tt,” Damian looks away, “I suppose I can agree to this understanding.”

Tim smiles, going to get up when Damian calls him back, “Drake, you mentioned an old album of fathers. If- I would like to look at it if you do not mind. I’m still not ready for bed, you can join if you wish.”

A voice that sounds oddly like Dick speaking in Tim’s head, ‘That’s Damian talk for please don’t leave me. I’m scared and small.’

“Fine. Move over and share the blankets, I’m cold,” Tim says as he grabs the album.

~

“Well isn’t this adorable?” Tim hears, waking from his slumber. Something heavy lies on his chest, reminding him of Steph. 

“Go away, Jay,” Tim grumbles, tightening his arm around what he believes to be his girlfriend, “We’re sleeping.”

“We can see that, Babybird,” Dick is there too. Slowly, Tim’s eyes blink open. Cassandra, Stephanie, Jason, and Dick are all surrounding the bed… But if Steph is standing around him then…

“Yeah, he’s a cuddler if he has a bad night,” Dick shrugs with the biggest grin in the world. 

Looking down, Tim sees Damian curled tightly around Tim with the photo album still open wide near them. The little boy is in a deep sleep due to his exhaustion and the sedatives that Tim put in his tea the night before.

“Stop it,” Tim grumbles, getting up but being careful of waking Damian, “I’m his big brother too, alright? Sometimes, I can do it right.”

“No one was doubting you, kiddo,” Jason grins, “We all just wanted to tease you after Alfred got the pictures.”

“Wait, pictures?!”


End file.
